This resource guide provides a summary of books, periodicals, and local resources to support sustainable gardening in South Central Alaska. It lists over 50 books organized by topic such as general organic gardening, composting, pest management, and storage. It also identifies several periodicals and community organizations that provide classes, demonstrations, and assistance to gardeners in the region. The guide aims to support those interested in organic and sustainable practices for Alaskan conditions.

1. From Ellen Vande Visse Good Earth Garden School
Revised April 7, 2008 www.goodearthgardenschool.com
RESOURCE GUIDE for
SUSTAINABLE GARDENING
for South Central Alaska
Table of Contents
Books by topics …………………………………..1-4
Key to Sources of Books………….……………….4
Periodicals …………………………………………...4
Community Service …………………………………5
Local Sources of Assistance……………………5-6
On-line Networks for Sustainable Agriculture…6
BOOKS Please see Key to Sources of Books below;
Most of these resources are available from www.acresusa.com.
Alaskan Gardening
The Alaskan Gardener’s Handbook by Lenore Hedla
Alaska Gardener’s Manual from Cooperative Extension Service, University of Alaska
Kachemak Cultivating from Seaside to Summit by Homer Garden Club
General Organic Gardening
The Healthy Garden Handbook by Ed. of Mother Earth News and Simon and Schuster.
How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons. Ten Speed Press (ACRES USA)
How to Grow Vegetables Organically. By Jeff Cox and Eds. of Rodale Press.
From Rodale Books, # 01-820-0, Box 220, Emmaus, PA 18099-0220.
Living the Good Life and Continuing the Good Life by Scott and Helen Nearing,
Schocken Books, NY. (in libraries & ACRES USA and
www.motherearthnews.com/shopping/detail.aspx?itemnumber=1760)
The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman (ACRES USA)
Organic Gardening by Crow and Elizabeth Miller (ACRES USA)
Rodale's All New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. ( Rodale Press & ACRES USA)
Composting
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2. Backyard Composting in Alaska 2nd Edition Video, 30 minutes: $15
This video gives you step by step instruction for successful Alaskan backyard
production. Your donation of $15 benefits Valley Community for Recycling Solutions,
Tel 907-745-5544
www.valleyrecycing.org
The Humanure Handbook. A Guide to Composting Human Manure by J. C. Jenkins,
Jenkins Publishing, PO Box 607 Grove City, PA 16127. (ACRES USA)
Lessons in Nature by Malcolm Beck (ACRES USA)
The Rodale Book of Composting. Martin and Gershuny, Eds Rodale Press. (ACRES USA)
Composting- Large-Scale
See www.biocycle.com Email: biocycle@jgpress.com
Composting- Worms (Vermiculture)
Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof (ACRES USA)
The Worm Book by Loren Nancarrow and Janet Hogan Taylor (ACRES USA)
Compost Tea and Soil Food Web
Compost Tea Brewing Manual see latest edition by Dr. Elaine Ingham www.soilfoodweb.com
The Field Guide for Actively Aerated Compost Tea (AACT) by Dr. Elaine Ingham
www.soilfoodweb.com
Soil Biology Primer by Dr. Elaine Ingham, Andrew R. Moldenke & Clive A. Edwards
Published by NRCS Soil Quality Institute (www.soilfoodweb.com and ACRES USA)
Teaming with Microbes Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis
Extending the Season
Four Season Harvest and Winter Harvest Manual by Eliot Coleman. Chelsea Green. Four
Season Farm, 609 Weir Cove Rd, Harborside ME 04642 www.fourseasonfarm.com
Microfarming at High Latitudes: A Resource for Small-scale, Cold-climate Food Security by
Michael A. Kircher, Palmer AK
Successful Cold Climate Gardening by Lewis Hill
Herbs, Wild
Discovering Wild Plants by Janice Schofield
Genetic Engineering
The Future of Food by Deborah Garcia: book and VHS or DVD (ACRES USA)
Organic Consumers Association: http://www.organicconsumers.org for products list,
campaigns, and information.
Genetically Engineered Food by R. Cummins and B. Lilliston (ACRES USA)
Green Peace www.greenpeace.org.uk
Your Right to Know: GE and the Secret Changes in Your Food, by Andrew Kimbrell
Harvest and Storage & Cookbooks for Garden Surplus
"Build Your Own Underground Root Cellar," by Ed. of Mother Earth News.
(from Mother Earth News or Storey's Bulletin #A-76)
Canning and Preserving without Sugar by Norma MacRae.
Moosewood Daily Specials
Recipes from a Kitchen Garden and More Recipes from a Kitchen Garden by Rene Shepard &
Fran Raboff, Ten Speed Press
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3. Root Cellaring by Nancy and Mike Bubel. (Mother Earth News books and ACRES USA)
Local Food and Problems with Industrial Agriculture
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, Harper Collins
Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan
Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture Edited by Andrew Kimbrell
From Center for Food Safety, www.centerforfoodsafety.org/YRTK.cfm
Pest Management
Common Sense Pest Control.
Companion Plants and How to Use Them and The Bug Book Helen Philbrick and Richard
Gregg.
The Encyclopedia of Natural Insect and Disease Control. Ed. Roger Yepsen, Jr. 1984 Rodale
Garden Pest Problem Solver Rodale Press
Gardening without Poisons by Beatrice Trum Hunter.
Great Garden Formulas from Rodale, 1999.
The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control by Bradley and Ellis
(ACRES USA)
Roses Love Tomatoes and Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louse Riotte
Weeds and What They Tell by Ehrenfried E. Pfeiffer
Weeds: Guardians of the Soil by J. A. Cocannouer.
Weeds and Why They Grow by Jay Mc Caman. From Mc Caman Farms, 9 Oak St., Sand Lake
MI 49343. Tel 616-636-8226. This tells how to eliminate weeds simply by
manipulating the nutrients rather than using herbicides.
Biological Control News. Newsletter on line www.entomology.wisc.edu/mbcn/mbcn.html
Planting Calendar by Moon and Stars
Moon Sign Handbook and Gardening Guide.
Stella Natura, the Biodynamic sowing calendar (ACRES USA)
Organic Growing Specialties:
Biodynamics: Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association, PO Box 550,
Kimberton, PA 19442, Tel 215-935-7797.
Culture and Agriculture by Storl
Secrets of the Soil by Bird and Tompkins (ACRES USA)
Various books by Ehrenfried Pfeiffer or Herbert Koepf. E.g. The Bio-Dynamic Farm and Bio-
Dynamic Agriculture by Herbert Koepf
Fukuoka
One Straw Revolution, The Natural Way of Farming and The Road Back to Nature by
Masanobu Fukuoka
Permaculture
Gaia’s Garden A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway. Chelsea Green
Permaculture One and Permaculture Two. By Bill Mollison
Seed Sources, Seed Starting
The New Seed Starter's Handbook by Bubel, Nancy. (Rodale & Mother Earth News)
Garden Seed Inventory by Kent Whealey. Seed Saver Publications, Rural Rte 3,
Decorah, Iowa, 52101. www.seedsavers.org (ACRES USA)
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4. Soil Chemistry and Biology
The Soul of Soil by Grace Gershuny and Joseph Smillie
Spiritual Gardening
The Findhorn Garden by the Findhorn Community. Harper Colophon Books, Harper and Row,
www.findhorn.org
Behaving as if the God in All Things Mattered and The Perelandra Garden Workbook I and II.
By Machaelle Small Wright from Perelandra Ltd., Box 3603, Warrenton, VA, 22724.
www.perelandra-ltd.com
KEY to SOURCES of BOOKS
ACRES USA 1- 800- 355- 5313 www.acresusa.com Request catalog for books and request a
separate list for tapes and CD’s from annual conferences. Email info@acresusa.com
Mother Earth News bookstore www.motherearthnews.com
Rodale Books & Organic Garden Magazine www.organicgardening.com Email:
organicgardening@rodale.com
Storey's How-To Books, Dept. 9069, 105 School House Rd, Pownal, Vermont, 05261.
1-800-827-8673 www.storey.com
PERIODICALS (magazines and on-line newsletters)
ACRES USA: A Voice for EcoAgriculture. A monthly magazine from ACRES USA .
1- 800-355- 5313 www.acresusa.com
Countryside PO Box 6017, Duluth MN 55806-6017
Farmstead Box 111, Freedom, ME 04941
Horticulture PO Box 51455, Boulder, CO 80321-1455 www.hortmag.com
The Land Report (of the Land Institute) 2440 E Water Well Road Salina, Kansas 67401
www.landinstitute.org
Mother Earth News; the magazine; also on-line newsletter, books, and booklets available.
www.motherearthnews.com PO Box 56304, Boulder, Colorado 80323-6304
Organic Bytes an on-line newsletter about safe food issues. www.organicconsumers.org
Organic Gardening (Rodale Press) PO Box 7377 Red Oak IA 51591-7377
Tel 1-800-666-2206 www.organicgardening.com
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5. COMMUNITY SERVICE
Plant a Row for the Hungry PAR Campaign, 10210 Leatherleaf Ct, Manassas, VA 20111
Phone 877-492-2727 www.gardenwriters.org Email par@gwaa.org
Master Gardener Program Contact your Cooperative Extension Service office of U of A
LOCAL SOURCES OF ASSISTANCE
Alaska Community Action on Toxics, Anchorage, 907-222-7714 Email: info@akaction.net
Anchorage Farmers Market 1305 N Smith Rd, Palmer 99645, 907-746-1087
Alaska Food & Farm Products Directory a booklet listing all agriculture operations and
contacts in Alaska. Obtain from AK Dept of Natural Resources, Division of Agriculture,
907-745-7200.
Alaska Sea-Ag Bob Greig. Fishbone meal and other ecological agriculture amendments.
907-745-5725, Palmer, www.alaskasea-ag.com E-mail: info@alaskasea-ag.com
Alaska Trust Foods Network Kim Sollien & Jeremiah Millen, PO Box 4965 Palmer, Alaska
99645 Phone: 907-745-7379 E-mail: trust@mtaonline.net www.trustfoods.blogspot.com
Connecting community, leaders, producers to enhance and protect Alaska's agricultural
sustainability.
Classes on organic growing methods Good Earth Garden School, Palmer AK. Courses,
email news bulletins, and networking. www.goodearthgardenschool.com
Cooperative Extension Service of University of Alaska www.uaf.edu/ces
Anchorage 786-6300; Palmer office is 745-3360; Fairbanks office is 474-1530
Soil testing; horticulture information, Pest Scout program, Alaska Bugline: 1-800-586-BUGS
Division of Agriculture State of Alaska Dept of Natural Resources
P.O. Box 949, Palmer, AK 99645-0949. 745-7200
Garden Clubs in Alaska: contact Anchorage Cooperative Extension Service 907-279-5582.
Mat-Su area: Valley Garden Club, contact Co-President Florene Carney at PO Box 871244,
Wasilla, AK 99687. Email snowfire@mtaonline.net
Jeff Lowenfels Garden writer for Anchorage Daily News and host of radio garden show.
Email garden questions to: Jeff@gardener.com
Master Gardeners Organization listings for AK at www.alaskamastergardeners.org
Fairbanks Master Gardeners www.uaf.edu/ces/michele; www.seakmastergardeners.org
Mat-Su Master Gardeners working through the Coop. Ext Service office in Palmer, 745-3360.
"Master Gardener Hotline" operates on Tues from 1-3 and Fri from 10-12. Or people can call
and leave a message, and one of us will return the call. (No website) Co-President Marie Domer
at 745-6561, Email, use Subject line: Master Gardener Information. dougnmarie@gci.net
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6. Pest Control- Non-toxic: contact Pest Scout at Cooperative Extension Service office near you.
Also see Peaceful Valley Farm Supply catalog, www.groworganic.com Email
helpdesk@groworganic.com Toll-free line 888-784-1722 and Gardens Alive catalog,
www.gardensAlive.com 5100 Schenley Place, Lawrenceburg, IN 47025. Tel 812-537-8650.
Email service@gardensalive.com
Plant Materials Center Bill Campbell. Plant diseases and potatoes 907-745-4469
Soil and Water Conservation Districts: Palmer 745-1441; Wasilla 357-4563 ext 103.
Valley Garden Club see above under Garden Clubs
ON-LINE NETWORKS about SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN)
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center
Room 304, National Agricultural Library
10301 Baltimore Ave. Beltsville, MD 20705-2351 (301) 504- 6425
www.ces.ncsu.edu/san E-mail san@nal.usda.gov
Sustainable Agriculture Network Publications
Hills Building, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405-0082
(802) 656- 4656 fax
ATTRA Hotline National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, managed by the National
Center for Appropriate Technology PO Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702 Tel 1-800-346-9140.
www.attra.org An incredible wealth of free knowledge and information in all aspects of
agriculture. Free newsletter available.
Rodale Institute Soils of the world, Regeneration of soils and healthy food systems.
www.rodaleinstitute.org
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